The invention concerns a modular article dispensing unit for an automatic vending machine, with an article compartment for accommodating articles, with a rotatably mounted rotary body at the dispensing opening of the article compartment for removing and dispensing individual articles from the article compartment, wherein the rotary body has at least one recess, in a removal position removes an article from the article compartment and after a predetermined rotary movement in a dispensing position delivers the article.
An article dispensing unit of that kind is known for example from DE 21 39 955 A1, in which articles are fed separately from an article compartment to a rotary body and are delivered after a predetermined rotary movement into a dispensing position. Disposed in front of the rotary body is a separating section which leads out of the article compartment and which feeds the articles separately and in isolation successively to the rotary body at the end of the separating section. The preceding operation of separating the articles into separate items means that the article dispensing unit is of a relatively large structural volume. Direct removal of the article from the article compartment is not possible.
DE 154 711 also discloses a modular article dispensing unit in which articles are removed from the article compartment directly by the rotary body, wherein after a predetermined rotary movement a part of the article is pushed sideways out of the article wrapping or article packaging and the article wrapping is then discharged into a collecting container, after a further rotary movement of the rotary body. Arranged in the interior of the article component above the rotary body is a fixed deflection projection which is intended to ensure that the articles pass separately to the periphery of the rotary body. For that purpose, the deflection projection is intended to prevent a plurality of mutually superposed articles blocking the recess in the rotary body and impeding entry of individual articles into the recesses in the rotary body. It has been found however that in the region of the fixed deflection projection the articles form so-called bridges and therefore become wedged tight against each other and thereby prevent the flow of articles to the rotary body.
Therefore the object of the invention is to develop a modular dispensing unit of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification, in such a way that the formation of bridges of articles upstream of the rotary body is reliably prevented, and therefore the feed flow of the articles to the recess or recesses in the rotary body is always reliably guaranteed.
That object is attained by a modular article dispensing unit for an automatic vending machine, with an article compartment for accommodating articles, with a rotatably mounted rotary body at the dispensing opening of the article compartment for removing and dispensing individual articles from the article compartment, wherein the rotary body has at least one recess, in a removal position removes an article from the article compartment and after a predetermined rotary movement in a dispensing position delivers the article characterized by at least one motion member in the interior of the article compartment, which is set in motion prior to and/or during each rotary movement of the rotary body.
The advantages of the invention are in particular that the motion member in the interior of the article compartment is set in motion prior to and/or during each rotary movement of the rotary body, whereby the articles are also moved in the region of the motion member. That makes it possible to prevent the articles from becoming wedged or jammed, that is to say it prevents them from forming bridges, while the action of the motion member on the articles is particularly advantageous in the region in which the articles are intended individually to pass into the recess in the rotary body.
In a particularly preferred feature the motion member or members is or are driven in operative relationship with the rotary body and is or are set in motion directly or indirectly by the rotary body. Preferably the motion member is supported pivotably about an axis which extends parallel to the axis of the rotary body. The motion member is preferably arranged in the interior of the article compartment in such a way that it is in direct mechanical contact with the rotary body and upon rotation of the rotary body performs a pivotal movement which has the result that articles disposed above the motion member are lifted, thereby reliably eliminating the onset of article bridge formation.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention the motion member has an upper engagement portion which is directed towards the articles in the article compartment and a lower engagement portion which upon rotation of the rotary member during predetermined time intervals comes into engagement with the rotary member. In that case the motion member is for example in the form of a segment of a wedge or circular surface, which is mounted pivotably in the region of its tip. Alternatively, the motion member may be in the form of a doublearmed angle lever whose upper arm forms the upper engagement portion and whose lower arm forms the lower engagement portion which is deflected by the rotary body, wherein the lower arm and the upper arm extend at an angle which is preferably  less than 180xc2x0, preferably even less than 90xc2x0.
It is possible to provide on the rotary body control projections or cams which in the rotary movement of the rotary body come into engagement with the motion member and deflect the motion member prior to or during each rotary movement of the rotary body and in that way lift the articles disposed thereabove in order to prevent the articles from forming bridges.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention there is provided a first electrical drive device for driving the rotary body. The first electrical drive device can also be used for driving the motion member which then for example is displaced with a pivotal movement by way of a transmission and an additional control means during suitable periods of time of the overall rotary movement of the rotary body. Alternatively, it is also possible to provide a second electrical drive which only drives the motion members synchronously with the rotary body.
Preferably a plurality of recesses are provided at the periphery of the rotary body so that to remove and dispense an article only a predetermined rotary angle which is less than or equal to 180xc2x0 has to be covered. The rotary body is for example in the form of a rotationally symmetrical cylinder in which the recesses are grooves which extend parallel to the axis of rotation and which extend over the entire width of the rotary body. The recesses are preferably matched to the shape of the articles which are to be dispensed in the article dispensing unit. If for example the articles are in the form of drinks cans, then the recesses are of a circular cross-section which is suitably open at the periphery of the rotary body.
The article compartment has two spaced parallel side walls, a rear wall, a front wall and a bottom. The bottom preferably extends inclinedly downwardly and forwardly and the dispensing opening of the article compartment is preferably in the corner region between the bottom and the front wall.
Preferably the rotary body is arranged in the dispensing opening in such a position that the articles run or roll down directly into a recess under their own weight on the inclined bottom of the article compartment, when the rotary body is at a stop. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the motion member can then also be moved mechanically in synchronous relationship with the movement which then occurs, of the rotary body.
The rotary body forms between the recesses so-called lobes or vanes which are spaced uniformly in the peripheral direction and directed radially outwardly and which with their free end represent part of the cylindrical peripheral contour of the rotary body. When the rotary body rotates in the clockwise direction, a respective vane passes from below into the interior of the article compartment and a respective vane passes forwardly out of the article compartment. For example there are three recesses in the rotary body, which are each separated from each other by a respective vane. For the purposes of separating and discharging the article, the rotary body is rotated stepwise through 180xc2x0 in each case. During the rotary movement of the rotary body the next article in the article compartment rolls into the next recess and is picked up by the rotary body and entrained into a viewing position of being readily visible from the front. In a second rotary movement through 120xc2x0 the vane further entrains that article and then discharges that article into a dispensing compartment in the dispensing position.